Weephole ventilator



United States Patent This invention relates to a weephole ventilator, and

more particularly to a novel structure for a cover mem ber for a weephole in masonry structure.

The preferred practice in the construction of brick veneer walls, particularly for houses or other buildings,

is to provide weepholes or small openings between bricks at predetermined intervals by omitting the mortar between the adjacent ends of the bricks. The purpose of these weepholes is to provide adequate circulation of air between the outer brick wall and the interior wall in order to eliminate the moisture in the space between these walls. Where the interior wall is of frame construction, inadequate ventilation will permit the accumulation of moisture causing rotting of the wood and structural damage to the interior wall. Where the interior wall is either wood or concrete block and covered with plaster, excessive moisture will also damage the plaster. Moreove t moist air is a very poor insulator so that inadequate Vt ntilation permits greater heat transfer between the interior and exterior walls and therefore increases the cost of heating the building. FHA andVeterans Administration building regulations now require weepholes in brick veneer walls approximately every' four feet in the horizontal course of bricks adjacent the foundation, and in frame construction, above the termite shield.

Although the incrorporation of weepholes in brick veneer walls has eliminated the accumulation of moisture between the interior and exterior walls to a considerable extent, there are still certain disadvantages to the present construction of weepholes, which amount to little more than crevasses between the adjacent ends of a pair of bricks in a horizontal course. For example, a

weephole formed by merely omitting the mortar between the bricks presents an unattractive and unfinished appearanct to the exterior of the house. Moreover, when the brick is laid, wet mortar sometimes accidentially drops into the weephole, either completely closing the weephole, or clogging itto such an extent that ventilation is impaired. Another problem is presented by the weephole becoming clogged by nesting insects and other foreign matter, such as sticks and leaves which collect 'as the house ages. A further difiiculty is that the open weepholes, whille providing adequate air passages, also provide entrances to the interior of the house for insects and rodents.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a weephole ventilator of novel construction for overcoming the disadvantages enumerated.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel weephole ventilator which is attractive in appearance and tends to blend with the mortar joints of brick construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a weep hole ventilator which not only permits the adequate passage of air through the weepholes, but will protect the weephole from the entrance of rainwater, rodents, and large insects, and will prevent mortar from dropping into the weephole.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel weephole ventilator which may be easily and economically formed from a single piece of sheet material, preferably metal.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel -a weephole 17,

weephole ventilator which is easily adapted for covering weepholes between bricks of a variety of sizes.

A further object of this invention is'to provide a novel ventilator which may be easily installed in the weephole as the bricks are being laid, and which actually speeds the lay-ing of the bricks without the danger of mortar dropping into the weephole.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a brick veneer wall including a weephole ventilator made in accordance with this invention; a

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary elevation of the weephole ventilator construction disclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, illustrating the installation of the weephole ventilator;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a one-piece sheet metal blank, illustrating the steps of manufacturing the weephole ventilator.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 discloses a section of a brick veneer wall 10 including a lower course of bricks 11, an intermediate course of bricks 12 and an upper course of bricks 13 stacked in vertical relationship, with the bricks in alternate courses being staggered in a conventional manner. In the intermediate course 12, the mortar is eliminated in the joint between the adjacent ends of bricks 15 and 16 to form The opposing ends of the bricks 15 and 16 form the side walls of weephole 17. The horizontal mortar joint 18 between the lower course 11 and intermediate course 12 forms the bottom of the weephole 17, and the horizontal mortar joint 19 between the courses 12 and 13 forms the upper or top wall of weephole 17. The front and back of the weephole 17 are open to permit the passage of air therethrough.

The weephole ventilator made in accordance with this invention comprises a cover member 20 preferably made of a one-piece, rectangular sheet material, such as metal, for example, an aluminum alloy having a thickness of .020 inch. The cover member 20 includes a body member 21 having an elongated rectangular face member 22 and a pair of elongated rectangular. flanges 23 and 24 of the same length or height as the face member 22. The forward edges of the flanges 23 and 24 are fixed to the side edges of the face member 22 so that the flanges 23 and 24 extend rearwardly of and normal to the face member 22. A rectangular plate member 27 is fixed at its front edge to the top edge of the face member 22, and extends rearwardly of and normal to the face member so that the upper edges of the flanges 23 and 24 abut against and support the bottom surface of the plate member 27, as best disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In order to carry out the invention, the plate member 27 must be wider than the face member 22 and, as shown in the drawings, the width of the plate member 27 is equal to the total width of the face member 22 and the two side flanges 23 and 24, because of the method of manufacturing the body member 30 from a single piece of rectangular sheet material.

The width of the face member 22 is substantially equal to the width of the weephole 17 so that the face member 22 will completely cover the weephole 17 with the flanges 23 and 24 abutting against the opposing faces of the bricks 15 and 16. Also, the height'or length of the face member 22 is slightly greater than the height of the weephole 17 so that the bottom portion of the face member 22 will penetrate the mortar 18 when the plate member 27 rests upon the top surfaces of the opposing bricks 15 and 16.

Patented June 2 8, 1966 The face member 22 includes a plurality of small openings 29 to permit the passage of air through the face member 22 and the weephole 17. These openings 29 may be of any convenient size and disposition, but preferably small enough to prevent the entry of rodents and large insects, yet numerous enough to permit a suflicient volume of air to ventilate the space between the brick wall and the inner wall of the building.

In this particular embodiment of the invention, the air passages 29 are disclosed as uniform transverse rectangular air openings longitudinally or vertically spaced in the face 22 with louvres 30 depending outwardly and down wardly from the top edges of the corresponding openings 29, in order to shed rainwater away from the openings 29. This particular type of opening 29 is employed because of the ease in manufacturing by merely punching and striking out the louvres 39 from the holes 29 in a single sheet of metal.

Another feature of this cover member 20, as best discolsed in FIGS. 3 and 5, is the plurality of transverse score lines 32 provided at predetermined spaced intervals along the rear portion of the plate member 27, so that a portion or portions of this plate member 27 may be easily and manually broken off to eliminate the unnecessary extension of the plate member 27 beyond the rear faces of the bricks and 16.

FIG. 4 discloses a cover member having a medium height, for example, 2 inches, in order to cover a weephole 17 between a pair of standard bricks 15 and 16 of 2% inches in height. The excess of an inch at the bottom of the cover member 20 penetrates the wet mortar 18 as the bricks are being laid, so that the cover member 20 will be permanently bonded in place. The phantom line 34 in FIG. 4 represents the bottom edge of the shorter cover member 20, for example, 1 inches in height, to fit a weephole 17 between a pair of Roman bricks which have a height of 1 /2 inches. In a similar manner, the phantom line in FIG. 4 represents the bottom edge of a cover member 26 of greater height adapted to accommodate a weephole 17 between bricks of corresponding greater height, such as utility bricks.

A preferred form of fabricating the above cover member 20 from a single rectangular sheet of aluminum alloy is disclosed in FIG. 5. Beginning with a flat, rectangular, sheet of aluminum alloy, the air openings 29 and louvres 30 may first be formed by punching out the rectangular openings and striking out the louvres 30 to positions disclosed in FIG. 5. The sheet metal is then cut transversely from opposite edges along the lines 37 and 38 to the junction between the flanges 23 and 24 and face member 22 to form the flange portions 23' and 24', as disclosed in phantom in FIG. 5. Then the flange portions 23' and 24' are bent downwardly or rearwardly until they are normal to the face portion 22 and assume the final solid line positions 23 and 24, respectively, disclosed in FIG. 5. Then the entire body member 21, comprising the face member 22 and the side flanges 23 and 24, is bent about the fold line 39 rearwardly until the body member 21 assumes its final phantom position 21, which is normal to the plate member 27. Score lines 32 may be formed in the plate member 27 at any stage of the operation which is convenient. The cover member 20 is then complete and ready for assembly into the corresponding weephole 17.

As best disclosed in FIG. 3, the cover member 20 is then inserted as the weephole is being formed during the laying of the bricks. After course 11 has been laid and the horizontal mortar joint 18 has been spread, the course 12 is laid until brick 15 has been set on the mortar 18 to form one side of the weephole 17. At this point, the cover member 20 is inserted so that the flange 23 abuts flush against the exposed end of the brick 15 and the i-body member 21 is forced down into the wet mortar 18 until the plate member 27 rests flush on top of the brick 15. The brick 16 is then laid on the mortar 18 and pressed firmly against the side flange 24 and beneath the plate member 27. The face member 22 is preferably spaced inwardly about a half inch from the front faces of bricks 15 and 16. This not only affords extra protection from rainwater, but assists in obscuring the cover member 20 from sight so that it will not be obviously different from the vertical mortar joints in the brick wall 10 to a casual observer. Of course, before the cover member 20 is assembled in the weephole 17, it should be of the proper height for the corresponding bricks, and the unnecessary extension of the plate member 27 should be separated by breaking along the'appropriate score line 32.

This cover member 20 may be employed wherever the weepholes 17 are located, but as previously stated, in a frame structure a weephole is located every four feet in the course of bricks laid immediately above the termite shield.

It will be observed that the face member 22 not only completely covers the weephole openings 17 except for the air passages 29, but it also provides a plate member 27 for completely covering the top of the weephole from the accidental dropping or deposit of the mortar from the layer 19. As a matter of fact, the laying of brick is expedited because the plate member 27, placed on top of the bricks 15 and 16, provides a bridging platform across the weephole 17 for supporting the mortar 19. Cover member 20 is of course, firmly bonded in the weephole 17 by the bottom portion of the body member 21 extending .into the mortar layer 18 and the mortar layer 19 adhering to and pressing the plate member 27 down upon the bricks 15 and 16. The flanges 23 and 24 not only provide additional stability and help seal the weephole 17, but also provide guides for assembling the cover member 20 against the opposing faces of bricks 15 and 16. The top edges of flanges 23 and 24 also support the plate member 27 in its horizontal position normal to the face member 22.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A ventilator for a weephole formed by the elimination of mortar between the adjacent end faces of a pair of bricks in a horizontal course, comprising:

(a) a one-piece cover member of sheet material comprising a rectangular face member, a pair of rectangular flanges and a rectangular plate member,

(b) said face member having a top edge, a free bottom edge, and a pair of side edges substantially longer than said top edge and longer than the height of said weephole,

(c) each flange having a top edge, a free bottom edge, a front edge and a rear edge substantially longer than said top edge, longer than the height of said weephole, and equal in length to each side edge of said face member,

((1) said front edges being fixed to said opposite side edges, and said flanges projecting rearwardly and normal to said face member,

(e) said plate member having a front edge, a rear edge, and a pair of side edges substantially longer than said front edge, said plate member being wider than said face member,

(f) the front edge of said plate member being fixed to the top edge of said face member so that said plate member projects rearwardly and normal to said face member, and

g) transverse openings formed in and spaced longitudinally of said face member.

2. A ventilated brick structure comprising:

(a) upper, intermediate and lower courses of bricks in a vertical stack,

(b) the normal spacing between a first brick and a second brick in said intermediate course being 1mobstructed to form a Weephole extending entirely through said intermediate course of bricks from front to rear,

() a cover member for said weephole having a rectangular face member, a pair of rectangular flanges and a rectangular plate member,

(d) said rectangular face member having a top edge, a free bottom edge and a pair of vertical side edges, the longitudinal axis of said rectangular face member being vertically disposed in said weephole adjacent the front of said brick structure,

(e) each flange having a top edge, a free bottom edge, a front edge and a rear edge, the longitudinal axes of said flanges being vertically disposed, said flanges and face member being of equal lengths,

(f) the front edges of said flanges being fixed to the opposite side edges of said face member, so that said flanges project rearwardly and normal to said face member, said flanges abutting flush against the opposing faces of said first and second bricks,

(g) said plate member having a front edge, a rear edge and a pair of side edges, the longitudinal axis of said plate member being in the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of said face member, and said plate member being wider than said face member,

(h) the front edge of said plate member being fixed to 6 the top edge of said face member so that said plate member projects rearwardly and normal to said face member to abut flush against the upper faces of said first and second bricks,

(i) the lengths of each of said face members and said flanges being longer than the height of said Weephole so that the bottom edges of said face member and said flanges project beneath the horizontal plane of the bottom faces of said first and second bricks and into the horizontal layer of mortar separating said intermediate course and said lower courses of bricks,

and

(j) transverse openings formed in and spaced longitudinally of said face member to permit the passage of air from the front of said brick structure through said openings and said Weephole to the rear of said brick structure.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which longitudinally spaced transverse score lines are formed on said plate member adjacent its rear edge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/ 1923 Tompkins 9829 X 2,557,566 6/1951 Ronfeldt 9829 MEYER PERLIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VENTILATOR FOR WEEPHOLE FORMED BY THE ELIMINATION OF MORTAR BETWEEN THE ADJACENT END FACES OF A PAIR OF BRICKS IN A HORIZONTAL COURSE, COMPRISING: (A) A ONE-PIECE COVER MEMBER OF SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR FACE MEMBER, A PAIR OF RECTANGULAR FLANGES AND A RECTANGULAR PLATE MEMBER, (B) SAID FACE MEMBER HAVING A TOP EDGE, A FREE BOTTOM EDGE, AND A PAIR OF SIDE EDGES SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN SAID TOP EDGE AND LONGER THAN THE HEIGHT OF SAID WEEPHOLE, (C) EACH FLANGE HAVING A TOP EDGE, A FREE BOTTOM EDGE, A FRONT EDGE AND A REAR EDGE SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN SAID TOP EDGE, LONGER THAN THE HEIGHT OF SAID WEEPHOLE, AND EQUAL IN LENGTH TO EACH SIDE EDGE OF SAID FACE MEMBER, (D) SAID FRONT EDGES BEING FIXED TO SAID OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES, AND SAID FLANGES PROJECTING REARWARDLY AND NORMAL TO SAID FACE MEMBER, (E) SAID PLATE MEMBER HAVING A FRONT EDGE, A REAR EDGE, AND A PAIR OF SIDE EDGES SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN SAID FRONT EDGE, SAID PLATE MEMBER BEING WIDER THAN SAID FACE MEMBER, (F) THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER BEING FIXED TO THE TOP EDGE OF SAID FACE MEMBER SO THAT SAID PLATE MEMBER PROJECTS REARWARDLY AND NORMAL TO SAID FACE MEMBER, AND (G) TRANSVERSE OPENINGS FORMED IN AND SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID FACE MEMBER. 